Poetry
Producciones literarias
Not translated into English
Synopsis
The poems of Dolores Veintimilla, gathered by Celiano Monge decades after her death. In "Quejas", a betrayed woman speaks of the love she was able to feel for a man and of her anger at him; in "A mis enemigos", she answers those who slander her and defends her dignity. Other pieces, "Desencanto", "Sufrimientos" or "Aspiración", express solitude and melancholy.
Context
The collection appeared in Quito in 1898, edited by Celiano Monge, and again in 1908 from Proaño y Delgado. The author writes in a rhythmic, musical language, sparing in images. Her "Necrología", in which she called God the "Great All", had led the friar Vicente Solano to accuse her of pantheism. In 2016, María Helena Barrera published the first critical edition of her work, De ardiente inspiración. "Quejas" appeared in English in 1986, under the title "Laments", in an anthology of Hispanic feminist poetry.
Who it is for
For discovering a nineteenth-century woman who dared to write her wound and stand up to the slanders of a whole town.
Prizes and reception
"Quejas" is regarded as her most famous poem; in her lifetime, Vicente Solano judged her immoral and contrary to the Christian faith.